Description

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
GOLD MEDAL WINNER OF THE 2016 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS ("IPPY")
Lene Fogelberg is dying--she is sure of it--but no doctor in Sweden, her home country, believes her. Love stories enfold her, with her husband, her two precious daughters, her enchanting surroundings, but the question she has carried in her heart since childhood--Will I die young?--is threatening all she holds dear, even her sanity. When her young family moves to the US, an answer, a diagnosis, is finally found: she is in the last stages of a fatal congenital heart disease. But is it too late?
A young woman risks everything to save her own life in this "unusual, riveting medical drama crafted with deep emotion and exquisite detail" (BookPage).show more

Review quote

Lene Fogelberg s memoir of living with an undiagnosed malfunctioning heart since childhood is a testament to the power of love. She allows us, the lucky reader, access to her innermost fears and guilts, offering up her story with such beautiful prose that one is enticed to linger over each word. Rossandra White, award-winning author of "Loveyoubye" Gripping, powerful, touching, beautiful. A memoir about a woman who fights to remain alive because of her daughters and her husband. A story everyone can relate to and will want to read to the inspiring end. Mette Ivie Harrison, author of Ironmom and "New York Times" Notable Book, "The Bishop's Wife" In her breathtaking memoir, "Beautiful Affliction," Lene Fogelberg elegantly unites the savagery and raw beauty of the natural world with the wisdom and poignant insight of a young wife and mother for whom each moment, whether or not she realizes it, may be her last. Exquisite imagery and poetic prose pulse through this powerful, emotionally gripping story. With Beautiful Affliction, Lene Fogelberg gives us a gorgeously written story to savor and share, while adding her shimmering, deeply intelligent voice to the literary pantheon. Terri Giuliano Long, bestselling author of "In Leah's Wake" Brilliantly paced, weaving glimpses of the author's past into an ever-tightening noose that engulfs Lene and her young family in adulthood, this memoir left me as breathless as if I'd read a thriller about an unstoppable killer circling its victim. "Beautiful Affliction" grips the reader and won t let go until the very last page. Rita M. Gardner, author of the award-winning memoir "The Coconut Latitudes" In her breathtaking memoir, "Beautiful Affliction," Lene Fogelberg elegantly unites the savagery and raw beauty of the natural world with the wisdom and poignant insight of a young wife and mother for whom each moment, whether or not she realizes it, may be her last. Exquisite imagery and poetic prose pulse through this powerful, emotionally gripping story. With Beautiful Affliction, Lene Fogelberg gives us a gorgeously written story to savor and share, while adding her shimmering, deeply intelligent voice to the literary pantheon. Terri Giuliano Long, author of "USA Today" bestseller "In Leah's Wake" "Beautiful Affliction" is an important and beautiful book about the ways in which our health impacts our lives, and the courage, strength, and healing that can result with persistence. A wonderfully honest and sincere memoir. Laura Pritchett, author of "Stars Go Blue" and winner of the PEN USA Award Heart-rending and suspense-filled, Fogelberg s "Beautiful Affliction" is a graceful meditation on love, marriage, motherhood, and the quotidian precious moments that make a life with young children. Fogelberg s miraculous story is a gift to readers, both for its exquisite prose and for its humble reminder: Life is short; love deeply. Laura Nicole Diamond, author of "Shelter Us""show more

Rating details

485 ratings

4.2 out of 5 stars

5
51% (245)

4
27% (129)

3
17% (83)

2
4% (21)

1
1% (7)

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